Colonial Coach Lines Bus Accident


The Colonial Coach Lines bus accident occurred on July 31, 1953 after a passenger bus carrying 37 occupants travelling from Toronto, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, collided with a truck that was stalled on the side of Highway 2, near Morrisburg, Ontario, killing 20 passengers on board.

Accident

On July 31, 1953 at approximately 04:00am, a Colonial Coach Bus Line passenger bus on an overnight express, en route from Toronto, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, struck a stalled truck with its lights off, on Highway 2 close to Morrisburg, Ontario. The bus careened off the highway down a 25-foot embankment ending up in the Williamsburg canal system in about 6 meters of water. Some passengers would escape by kicking out windows and smashing doors, In the end 20 passengers were dead and 17, including the driver, would escape. The driver of the parked truck would also survive.

Legacy

The Colonial Coach Lines bus accident remains the deadliest traffic accident in Ontario history.